CHEVROLET AT READING
What: Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals
When: Friday, Sept. 13-Sunday, Sept. 15
Where: Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania
TV: FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals live at 2 p.m. ET September 15
Chevrolet drivers seek quick start in the Countdown
Team Chevy holds No. 1 seeds in Funny Car, Pro Stock entering first round
DETROIT (September 11, 2019) – The game plan for every Chevrolet driver competing for a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) title remains the same entering the first round of the Countdown to the Championship as it did the first race of the season.
“As any race, it’s go out there and win and get as many points as you can,” said Jimmy Prock, crew chief for Funny Car top seed Robert Hight’s Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. “There’s just more urgency in the (six-race) Countdown.”
Hight takes a 20-point advantage over teammate John Force heading to the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Pennsylvania after a points reset exiting the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals regular-season finale. Hight has a class-high five wins and eight No. 1 qualifier honors.
Force will be a consistent challenger as he seeks a 17th NHRA title. The driver of the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS has been running well – notching his NHRA record-extending 150 career victory last month in Seattle and recording No. 151 at Lucas Oil Raceway on September 2. The latter was the 140th Funny Car win for Chevrolet and 60th in a Camaro body.
It is the third time in the Countdown era that Hight and Force have been 1-2 (2010, 2014). In the current playoff format, Hight won the Funny Car championship in 2009 and ’17 and was runner-up in 2018. Force earned the title in 2010 and was second in ‘14.
“Reading is the first of six races to the championship and I’m looking forward to getting there,” Hight said. “The last time I won there was in 2011, so I’d definitely like to get a win again, extend my points lead before going to the next one. It’s really go-time now and to get a couple more wins under our belt, that would really set us up for winning the Funny Car title and give me the best season of my career.”
In Pro Stock, Bo Butner won four races in the regular season driving the Jim Butner Auto Group Chevrolet Camaro SS and is the No. 1 seed. But the class is difficult to handicap as seven different drivers visited the winner’s circle in the 12 regular-season races.
“It’s going to be a dogfight for these next six races, and you’re going to have to be on top of your game in every aspect: the race car, the engine and the driver,” said four-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson, who has two victories in the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS and is the No. 4 seed. “Everything is going to have to be on perfect song, or you’re not going to win. The competition is as stiff as it’s ever been.”
Brittany Force, the 2017 Top Fuel champion enters the Countdown as the No. 4 seed. She was low qualifier for the fifth time this season at the U.S. Nationals in the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet dragster. Rookie of the year front-runner Austin Prock, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, is the No. 8 seed.
Competing in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros in Super Stock will be Steve Szupka of Northampton, Pennsylvania; Jack Matyas of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Bob Bagley of Warsaw, Virginia; Gerard Noonan of Monroe Township, New Jersey; James Jeschke Jr. of Baden, Pennsylvania; and Donald Belles of Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Driving a COPO Camaro in Stock Eliminator will be Jim Boburka of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; Philip Lankford of Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Chip Johnson of Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Matyas.
FS1 will telecast eliminations and finals live at 2 p.m. ET September 15.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, CARQUEST FILTERS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (2017 class champion; five-time No. 1 qualifier; won at Houston; runner-up at Las Vegas and Atlanta; past winner and No. 1 qualifier at track; No. 4 seed): “We had an awesome weekend in Indy a couple weeks ago. The Advance Auto Parts team set the track record, we grabbed another No. 1 qualifier and went some rounds on race day. I’m happy. I feel like we have our race car back and I’m feeling good in the car. We feel confident heading to Reading and we’re going in from the No. 4 position and ready to move up in the points and fight for another championship.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (won first Top Fuel race at Seattle; No. 8 seed): “I’m pretty proud of how things are going right now. We had a bit of a tough start in qualifying at the Chevy Performance U.S. Nationals, but we put up some competitive numbers to get in the competition. We ended with another semifinal appearance for the second consecutive week to follow up that win in Seattle. I think if we can keep this pace up, going to the semifinals and getting into the finals, we’ll be able to run for the championship. We have more work to do but everybody is working hard at it and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (2017 class champion; has won five races and has eight No. 1 qualifier honors; No. 1 seed): “We didn’t leave Indy with a win but we left with the No. 1 spot heading into the Countdown and that feels pretty good. It’s a first for us and I’m proud of that. Jimmy Prock, Chris Cunningham and the Auto Club team have been putting in the hard work all season to have the best race car out there and I think we’ve shown that all season long. I went to Indy to get in some testing earlier this week before going to Reading and I’m feeling confident. We figured some things out and we’re going to have a strong car this weekend.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK COOLANT & MOTOR OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (recorded 150th class win at Seattle and 151st at Indianapolis; two-time No. 1 qualifier; No. 2 seed): “When I get in that car, I’m alive again. It’s like my heart starts working and everything is good. So, don’t let anybody tell you that you’re too old. Get up and stay alive and keep moving.”
PRO STOCK:
BO BUTNER, JIM BUTNER AUTO, JIM BUTNER AUTO SALES CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has four wins and three-time No. 1 qualifier; 2017 series champion; No. 1 seed): “We have a good car right now. My Jim Butner Auto Group Chevy Camaro is starting to show some signs of greatness again, and this is the right time for that. We enter the Countdown as the No. 1 seed, and hopefully, that’s where we end up. Of course, you want to win, especially once you know what it feels like – but if it’s a KB Racing car at the end, we’ll be happy. We’ve been saying all year that we want to be 1-2-3 at the end, and we’re starting this deal off pretty close to that. Now we just have to keep it going and keep everybody else from separating us.”
ALEX LAUGHLIN, LAUGHLIN RACING, HAVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time runner-up; won at Indianapolis; No. 2 seed): “My plan right now is to just go out and have fun. I’ve never made the Countdown before, so that is a huge accomplishment. Also, with the most recent win, weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m not just going from race to race thinking are we ever going to win again. From here on out, whatever happens happens. We’ve only won one race, but we’ve been extremely consistent. I’ve only lost first round one time out of these first 12 races. The consistency is what will make it pay off.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Brainerd; No. 3 seed): “Right now, I have the best Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro I’ve had in years. That’s a good feeling going into the Countdown, but you never know. You have to stay on top of things, and you have to be your best if you’re going to make it happen. We didn’t bring the championship home to Ken Black last year, but I like our chances right now. These next six races are going to be tough, and you’re really going to have to earn it. We have a little bit of momentum, though, and hopefully, we can build on that. I’d like to start next year with a big No. 1 on the window.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (has won two of past four races and runner-up in another; No. 4 seed): “My No. 1 goal going into this race is to be better as a driver. I was off the last several races, I wasn’t cutting the lights I needed to win in this class, and that isn’t going to win any races – let alone a championship. The second thing is that we have to get the red Summit Racing Chevy Camaro a little bit better, too. We had a week off and took full advantage of it, and we feel like we’re ready to start this Countdown off on a positive note. It’s going to be a dogfight for these next six races, and you’re going to have to be on top of your game in every aspect: the race car, the engine, and the driver. Everything is going to have to be on perfect song, or you’re not going to win. The competition is as stiff as it’s ever been.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (five-time winner at track; No. 8 seed): “There couldn’t be a better place for our JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro to find a good late-season rhythm. We certainly know this facility well, all the way back to when I came here as a boy to watch my dad (Hall of Famer Jeg Coughlin) race, and I know you can’t find more passionate and knowledgeable fans then the ones that pack this racetrack whenever we roll through. We haven’t celebrated a win under our canopy since the Phoenix race near the start of the season so we’re pretty hungry. I feel up to the task. I’ve been very pleased with my driving and if I can stay focused on doing my job and making the best passes possible each round, we’ll always have a chance.”